


To kindle one soul

by FrauAsh



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M, Family Bonding, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:26:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29149680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrauAsh/pseuds/FrauAsh
Summary: A well-deserved Grey/Hayes story about love, healing and the importance of family. Set three months after s16 finale. English is my third language, so I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes! Enjoy!"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed" – Carl Jung
Relationships: Meredith Grey/Amelia Shepherd, Meredith Grey/Cormac Hayes, Meredith Grey/Jo Wilson
Comments: 15
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

A well-deserved Grey/Hayes story about love, healing, and the importance of family. Set three months after s16 finale. English is my third language, so I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes! Enjoy!

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed” – Carl Jung

Chapter 1

Set 3 months after s16 finale. 

Deluca goes away for treatment for three months, having little, almost none, contact with Meredith.  
Meanwhile, Meredith and the ultimate gift, Dr. Cormac Hayes, Chief of Pediatric Surgery, have been dating and things are getting serious between them.  
Other than Cristina, Amelia, Link, Maggie, Alex and Jackson, nobody knows they’ve been seeing each other.  
They both wanted to take this relationship slow. Step by step. They are both mature adults, who have gone through inexplicable losses while young and have their children to worry about now. 

Last night, after taking his boys to the airport for their trip to California to visit their aunt, he texted Meredith. 

CH: Hey you. What are you up to?  
Mer: Honey. Hi. Nothing much. The boys left?  
CH: Yes. Just saw them off.  
Mer: Were they excited?  
CH: Yes. Very. They hadn’t left yet and were asking if they could extend their stay. As if they live with a monster  
Mer: Hahaha they’re gonna have a blast. Their aunt sounds very cool I have to say.  
CH: Zoe is all fun and games no question about it.  
Mer: Are you going home?  
CH: Unless you wanna go out with me.  
Mer: You’re crazy. It’s almost 10pm. Out where?  
CH: For drinks. Come on. Just for a bit.  
Mer: OK. Give me 10 min.  
CH: Aye. 

She loved going out with him. There never was a dull moment. It all felt very natural. As if they knew each other all their lives. Tonight, was no exception. There was no drama with Hayes. “So this is what a mature relationship feels like” thought Meredith on their first date. He was everything she didn’t know she was looking for, and boy, was she glad she’d found him! They went to a new bar in the City Center and the atmosphere was perfect. Quiet, relaxing and comfortable, just as their conversation. She was so comfortable with him that even silences were welcomed and enjoyed, and that was a first for her.  
The sat in a corner table, dimly lit, listening to the jazz band while drinking his whiskey of preference. He loved that she wasn’t just a girl he met and was currently dating; she was an equal and currently his best friend. They talked about absolutely everything. He felt like if she knew his soul. His modus operandi when he was around her was full transparency. There was no lying to her or deceiving her. His favorite thing about her: she was game for whatever he came up with. Dinner and a movie? Done. Morning run when overwhelmed with work? Done. Staying on the phone in complete silence on the anniversary of Abigail’s death? Not a problem for her. Getting hammered with tequila shots at Joe’s after an intense week at the hospital? Blackout. Mid afternoon coffee break in her office? Almost daily. Whiskey in his after a long day of work? Their favorite time of day. Going to the batting cages and drinking beer after he lost one of his patients? Her idea and greatly appreciated by him. Spontaneous night out for drinks and some live music? On it. 

His thoughts are interrupted when she reaches out and caresses his arm. “You OK?” she asks smiling slightly and looking into his eyes.  
“Aye, just thinking” he says as he puts his other hand on top of hers.  
“You know, Andrew is coming back to work tomorrow” as she moves her hand to the spot between his shoulder and his neck. 

He nods, “I’m glad he’s doing better, he’s a nice lad”, he looks at her with soft and loving eyes and she smiles with that spark that makes his heart warm, “He is, I care about him and wish him well” she says softly, as he angles his head to kiss the hand that she has in his shoulder.  
“Jackson said there’s a party for him tomorrow at the hospital” he tells her. 

“Yeah, a welcome back party. The nurses organized it. Will I see you there?” she asks, interlacing their fingers. “Sure, I’ll drop by” he answers looking at her lovingly. 

They sit there enjoying themselves and each other’s company. He’s concentrated on the band’s performance when he hears her voice, “Babe” she says looking at him with tired eyes, “are you gonna finish your drink? It’s getting late”.  
He smiles at her and kisses her forehead, “Nope. Let’s go love” He says as he stands up and takes out his wallet to leave a tip, then offers his hand to help her stand up. They walk out of the bar side by side, he rests his hand on the small of her back guiding her to the car. 

They get into his black Range Rover Velar and he starts the car while looking at her, “thanks for coming with me, I know it was last minute” he says. She smiles at him and nods, raising her eyebrows she says “last minute and past my bedtime mister”.  
He backs out of the parking laughing, “So I was thinking” he starts, not taking his eyes off the road for a second, “the boys are gonna be away for a while and um....”, he swallows hard, “I have the house to myself and...”.  
He’s looking straight at the road ahead but she’s looking straight at him, resting her head on the back of her seat, with love in her eyes. “And?” she repeats after him, the smile on her voice evident, making him smile and blush in return, “And I was wondering if maybe you would like to spend the night. At my place. Not tonight though, the lads left a huge mess while packing” he chuckles, nervously, glancing at her when he slows down on a red light. She reaches for his free hand and sights, “I would love to. Tomorrow night?” she asks softly, “Yeah” he smiles back, squeezing her hand. She feels so content in the moment and gets the same exact vibe from him. She can’t believe they haven’t said I love you yet. Everything is crystal clear with him, there’s no confusion. She knows how she feels and has known for a while. She knows she loves him already and she’s ready to tell him, but she has to be patient with him and wait till he’s ready. This is his first relationship after he lost his wife. She knows exactly how that feels, so she is letting him take all the time he needs. 

They reach her house and he parks in the driveway behind her car. He looks at her and reaches for her head, running his hand through her hair, “you look exhausted” he says. She smiles tiredly and reaches for his shoulders, squeezing them and advances her hands to the nape of his neck “your fault Hayes, I was ready for bed when you texted” she says as she pulls him into a tender kiss. They break apart and he cups her face with his hands pulling her in for another kiss. They break apart once more, he rests his head on the back of his seat while facing her, he reaches sideways to touch her face and says, “Meredith”, “Mmm” she mutters still looking at him. “I love you” he says, adding, “do you know that?”. She feels herself blush and her heart seems to be exploding with every emotion she hasn’t let herself feel for a while, “I do” she answers back, her voice breaking a little, “I love you too” she adds, reaching for another kiss, this one less tender and more passionate, before he kisses her on the side of her head and embraces her in a tight hug for a few minutes. 

They pull apart and she asks “are you gonna walk me to the door? Otherwise I’m falling asleep right here”. He laughs quietly and replies “of course I am, let’s go” getting out of the car and walking around her side to open her door, offering his hand. They walk hand in hand to her front door before she fishes her keys out of her coat and gives him a quick kiss, “Thank you for tonight I’m glad you texted” she whispers to him while he smiles and rests his hands on her hips. She turns so she can open her door and adds, “See you tomorrow. Please text me and let me know you got home safe”, as she walks inside turning to see him off when he replies, “I will. Have a good night love” as he walks back to his car and she watches as he drives away. 

As she’s about to fall asleep her phone chimes with a new message.  
CH: Mer. I’m home. Everything OK. Goodnight baby love you.  
(She smiles, loving how thoughtful he is, and replies before falling asleep with a smile on her face)  
Mer: OK honey. Love you good night.


	2. Chapter 2

Meredith is standing by the door waiting for Amelia to come down so they can leave for work. 

“Amelia! What’s taking you so long!?” she yells impatiently. 

Amelia laughs from upstairs, “can you relax? We have time. What’s the rush?”, she answers back calmly. 

“I’m gonna wait in the car. Are you coming or not?”, she yells back, rolling her eyes and walking to her car as she does. 

Five minutes later they are on their way to the hospital and Amelia notices Meredith constantly checking her phone.   
“Is everything OK with you?” Amelia asks, eyeing her suspiciously.   
Meredith glances at her, “Yeah. Why?” She says nonchalantly.   
“No reason. You’ve been anxious since you woke up and were yelling at me to hurry even though our shifts are not until 9” replies Amelia shrugging her shoulders.  
Meredith breathes loudly and looks over at Amelia, “I’m sorry, you’re right. It’s not you, it’s... umm... It’s Cormac” she’s says as she focuses back on the road leading up to the hospital. 

Amelia looks confused, “What do you mean?”, she asks softly, “Did something happen between you two?” she follows up, as Meredith parks the car near the entrance. 

Meredith closes her eyes briefly and shakes her head, “We said I love you. Last night.” she says sighing. 

Wide-eyed and with her mouth open in shock, “why is that a bad thing Mer?” Amelia asks happily. 

“I know, I know it’s not, but he hasn’t called or texted this morning. He usually texts as soon as he wakes up. I know he’s probably busy, but I can’t help but think that maybe he’s regretting it?” replies Meredith with a sad look on her face. 

“What? No Mer. That’s crazy” says Amelia, with a calm voice sounding very wise, surprising even herself, “Is that why you wanted to come in early? To talk to him?” adds Amelia, completely owning this newly found wise persona. 

Meredith is deep in thought with a far away look when she answers, “I just want to see him”, she then continues, “I’ll ask him if I have to. I can tell him anything. I can be vulnerable with him without...” she’s still searching for the words when Amelia asks, “without what?” with comprehensive eyes. 

She shrugs with a small smile before answering, “without feeling exposed”, she’s shaking her head when she continues, “it’s so weird because we only met six months ago but I trust him completely, you know?”, she chuckles softly, “I feel safe with him, I know that I can tell him anything and not only he won’t judge me, he will also understand”, Amelia nods still listening to every word she’s saying, Meredith looks at her unshielded, looking as vulnerable as one can be, before confessing “That’s why I’m so anxious. This relationship is so new and he already means so much to me. We just exchanged iloveyous yesterday but I knew I loved him months ago. I want this to work but what if we are not on the same page?”

Amelia looks at Meredith with her game face on. The one she embodies when performing the most complicated surgeries. The face that has known pain and struggle, suffering and defeat but has managed to resurface from the abyss, conquering fear and insecurities, achieving greatness as second nature. With that deep look on her face she says, “Mer. I love you. You know that”, she clears her throat, “That’s why I’ll say this to your face. There is something called boy drama. I’ve ALWAYS chased boy drama so I know a thing or two about it”, game face still on, she continues, “you had boy drama with Deluca. Hell, you even had boy drama with Derek. But what you’re experiencing right now? Not boy drama my friend. This is just the usual nervousness that comes with a new and functional relationship”. 

Meredith completely shocked at everything she just heard, says “Hmm. What the hell? When did you become so wise?” Looking at Amelia with curiosity. 

“Beats me. No idea. But it makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?” replies Amelia with her eyebrows raised. 

“Surprisingly, it does” Meredith says back with her eyebrows raised as well. 

Amelia smiles confidently, “Off we go then. Go find your gentleman of Dublin”, she says as they walk out of the car together, Amelia towards the coffee cart and Meredith towards the whiteboard to check where her Irishman is at.   
_________________________

Meredith checks the OR board and scans every entry for his name. Appendectomy/OR1/C.HAYES, J.WILSON. Based on her calculations, he should be done within the hour, so she decides to wait in the attendings lounge. 

She finds Jackson in the lounge, laying on the couch with his feet up and a coffee in hand, looking exhausted. “What’s up with you?” she asks, eyeing him curiously. He opens his eyes and raises his eyebrows in one swift move, “Mer. Hey. I’m exhausted and I have the whole day ahead of me. And it’s only Thursday”. She nods with a sympathetic look, “What time did you get in?” she asks. He glances with tired eyes at her before answering, “I got an emergency page at 5:30am. Family car crash. Drunk driver hit them. Parents almost unscathed but the girl was beat up pretty badly. I was in the OR by 6am”. Meredith closes her eyes and cringes at his response, “Oh God. Poor parents. Nothing worse than seeing your child hurt. Is she OK?” she asks, pain and worry evident in her voice. Jackson sighs and answers, “Yeah. She’ll be fine. She came with a deep laceration from her forehead to her neck and a perforation of the appendix. Everything went smoothly, no complications”, he gives her a half smile.   
Meredith smiles back and answers, “Thank God. Having your kid in an OR is a parent’s worst nightmare”.   
“Yeah no kidding” says Jackson with a serious look on his face, “I kept thinking about Harriet. I would’ve killed that drunk driver with my own bare hands”, he says as he shakes his head. Meredith nods, tightening her lips.   
Jackson’s demeanor suddenly changes when he looks at her excited and says, “Hey! How are things between you and Hayes? He was in the OR with me today!”. A very surprised-looking Meredith asks, “So, he was paged too? He’s been here since 6am?” looking at Jackson expectantly. “Yep. He was already here when I got in. Poor guy hasn’t stopped for a second today. Back to back surgeries since he got here.” he replies and asks her, “So you like him or what?” he asks chuckling.   
Meredith eyes him, smiling slightly with that spark on her eyes that only she has, “Yes I do. He’s really great” she tells Jackson as she smiles and looks down, blushing and a bit embarrassed.   
Jackson smiles wide, “He’s really great, I agree” he says and continues, “I tried to get some info out of him today, but he was non-compliant. Said I was your friend first so it was your story to tell, not his” he tells her with raised eyebrows as an indication of surprise, before asking her, “So you’re happy? He’s good to you? Makes you happy?” he asks with a happy tone in his voice. Meredith makes eye contact with him and smiles with a smile that reaches her eyes, “Yes. Yes. He’s good, Jackson. I’m very happy”, she replies back still holding eye contact. He stands up from the couch still smiling, and crosses over to where she’s sitting as he says, “Good. I’m glad. I’m happy for you Mer”, he tells her while dropping a kiss on her head, “I’ll catch up with you later” he says as he walks out heading to his next surgery. 

Meredith heads to the locker room to change into her scrubs, feeling a lot better now that she knows Cormac has been crazy busy this morning and probably hasn’t had a chance to check in, or so she tells herself.   
__________________________

She walks into a completely empty locker room and heads to her cubby to leave her purse and get her scrubs, when she spots a brown paper bag. She opens it to find a blueberry muffin (her favorite!) and a bottle of water with a post-it note that reads: “You kept me out late last night, but there’s no hard feelings. Here is a token of my goodwill. Love you, CH.” she reads it and can’t help but smile and roll her eyes at his note. She even laughs out loud, because of his funny message and also because she can’t believe she was SO worried and stressed about him not texting her this morning. She’d told herself the story about him regretting last night’s developments since the moment she woke up today, only to find out that there was no truth in it and it only was fueled by a figment of her imagination.   
She feels at ease now. Peace of mind flooding her every thought. Her urge to see him increasing by the second; but he’s still in surgery and she has a gastric bypass scheduled in 20 minutes, so she knows they’ll be like two passing ships today and she’s well aware it will be a while until she sees him. 

She sits down and enjoys her muffin, with a new-found love for it just because he was so thoughtful and romantic for remembering it was her favorite, making it a thousand times more special and enjoyable.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: THANK YOU ALL FOR THE KIND REVIEWS! I appreciate it very much!
> 
> *** For the purposes of this story, Tom and Teddy are still together. Owen and Teddy we’re never a thing.

Just as she’s leaving the OR to go update her patient’s family on a successful outcome, she bumps into Maggie who’s leaving the OR across the hall.   
Maggie spots her first and smiles wide, “Hey Mer! How was your date last night? I was paged early this morning” she asks with curiosity and excitement.   
Meredith smiles and rolls her eyes as she answers, “It was not a date Mags. But it was nice. Thanks for watching the kids” she says, thanking her genuinely. 

“No problem. My pleasure. Are you going to Deluca’s thing?” Maggie asks making eye contact with Meredith. 

Meredith winces and closes her eyes before answering, “Man, I forgot about that”, she looks at Maggie and nods, “Yes I’m going. I’ll update this family and I’ll stop by”. 

Maggie gives her a small smile and answers back, “Great. See you up there.” 

_________________________

After updating the family, Meredith heads upstairs to the 3rd floor to the nurses’ lounge where they organized the party. 

As she nears the lounge, she remembered Cormac saying last night that he was gonna drop by and she grows excited about the prospect of seeing him sooner than expected. 

She opens the revolving doors leading to the lounge and immediately scans the room for her boyfriend.   
She spots him after a few seconds and can’t help but notice how handsome he looks. He’s sitting with Koracick (who she now considers a close friend and knows Cormac does too), Jo and Jackson, and he’s laughing at something one of them said. Meredith stares for a few seconds and smiles to herself, loving that he’s fitting in perfectly with her friends and family. Jackson spots her and waves for her to come over as he nudges Cormac to notice her. Cormac looks at her and smiles so warmly that she feels her heart expanding. She returns the smile and scans the room again, but this time for Andrew. She spots him, surrounded by a few doctors and nurses, and heads his way to say hello. 

Deluca sees her approaching and smiles fondly, “Hey Mer, how are you?”, he says as they smile at each other and Mer gives him a friendly hug, “Hey Andrew, it’s good to have you back. I’m great, how are you?” she replies, waiting for his answer. “I’m OK now, happy to be back” he says before adding, “Let’s catch up later”. “Sure, we are happy to have you back too”, she says retreating gracefully as other doctors approach him and she heads to where Hayes and the others are sitting. 

He sees her walking towards their table and can’t help but feel lucky and blessed. She loves him. How did he get so lucky? He thinks to himself and smiles at her as she reaches their table. “Hey” she says eyeing them all, “you guys been here long?” she asks.   
“Nope. Around 10 minutes” Jo says and the rest of them nod. 

Cormac still looking at her adoringly, attempts to stand up to offer his seat, “Here, have my seat”, he says as he starts to stand up but she’s standing behind him and stops him, putting her hands on his shoulders, softly pushing him back down on his chair, “No, no, you sit. I’m getting coffee first” she tells him, leaving her hands on his shoulders as he sits down again.   
Tom makes eye contact with her and she notices him smirking, as if he’s hiding something from her. “So, Grey”, he starts with that smug look on his face, “I heard something through the grapevine yesterday”, he tells her looking up at her. 

“Oh yeah? What did you hear Tom?” She replies, smirking back at him, one hand still on Cormac’s shoulder, the other one on the nape of his neck, this physical interaction going completely unnoticed by her. Jackson and Jo watching both of them closely, while Hayes focused his attention solely on Koracick, as Meredith was standing behind him and he couldn’t see her.   
Koracick glances at Cormac and then eyes her hands laying comfortably on Hayes’ body before he says, “That you no longer drink Italian wine, but now are head over heels for Irish whiskey”, grinning from ear to ear as he makes eye contact with her.   
Cormac let’s a small laugh escape and nearly chokes on the chocolate chip he’s eating, completely caught off guard by Koracick’s accusation.   
Meredith laughs softly but out loud, shaking her head and looking at Tom with a devilish smile but not surprised at all, “I’ve always had a thing for whiskey. Wine was a phase but I’m a hard liquor kind of girl” she says as she raises her eyebrows at Tom, the smirk returning to her face. Cormac looks up at her and makes eye contact, communicating everything he wants to say just by looking deep into her eyes. Jackson is laughing along with them, but Jo looks lost and feels as she’s missing a part of the puzzle when she asks, “I didn’t get the joke. What?” she looks over at Tom, waiting for an answer, with a look of confusion plastered all over her face. 

Tom glances at her and then pointing at Mer and Cormac, he says, “These two? Boyfriend and girlfriend. Hayes here is the newest addition to the frat house family” he replies laughing about his own comment of the well-known frat house. 

Jo looks dumbfounded. She looks at Meredith in shock, then at Cormac (who she has become very close with), then at Meredith again and then her eyes land on Meredith’s hands on Cormac. She takes a second to form a full sentence before asking Meredith, “Holy cow! Is he messing with me?”, she asks ecstatic, her eyes dreamy. 

Meredith notices other tables glancing at them, so she takes her hands off him and rests them on the back of the chair, “We are together Jo. Tom’s not messing with you” she replies calmly sounding content and confident. 

“Yay! This is great! I called this the moment you got here Hayes, I knew it!”, she says smiling at no one in particular. Meredith and Cormac both smile at her, finding her reaction adorable and genuine. 

“I’m getting coffee”, Mer says moving forward so Cormac can see her, “you want something sweetie?”, she asks pausing to look at him. He smiles at the term of endearment, “I’ll take a coffee please”, he says as he looks at her from head to toe. She smiles and heads to the other side of the room for their coffees after she hears Jo telling Tom and Jackson: “She called him sweetie, I’m dying of romance!”.

When Meredith comes back with their coffees, Jackson and Jo are already gone, leaving her loved one and Koracick chatting about Wimbledon.   
“I didn’t know you were a tennis fan Hayes. You play?” asks Tom as she sits down and hands Cormac his coffee.  
“Thank you love” says Cormac giving her a small smile then turns his attention back to Koracick, “Absolutely” he replies. “Let’s play this weekend. You in?”, Tom asks him while standing up.   
“Sure thing” Cormac replies back. 

Tom winks at Meredith, “You look happy Grey, see you later”, and leaves for a consult. 

Meredith and Cormac are left by themselves. They hold an intense eye contact game while sipping their coffees. Meredith starts to speak, “So, about toni-”, and is interrupted by Cormac who starts speaking at the same time, “you wanna get out of here?”. She gives him a small smile and nods, “Let’s go”. They stand up and walk out together, still sipping their coffees, his hand on the small of her back, guiding her to the door. 

As soon as they walk out the door he pulls her close with his arm and whispers in her ear, “you look beautiful”, and quickly steps away from her, glancing sideways at her. She blushes and mouths “thank you” before looking down and smiling sheepishly, following him to his office. 

They reach his office, and he opens the door, letting her walk in first. She rounds his desk, taking a seat in his chair while he closes the door and looks at her curiously, taking a seat opposite her in a rolling chair, pushing himself around until he’s right next to her. He closes the gap between their chairs, putting his hand on top of hers, before interlacing their fingers and looking deep into her eyes, “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since last night”, he tells her, caressing her hand with his thumb while moving forward to kiss her gently. She breaks the kiss after a few seconds, moving her free hand to the side of his face, their foreheads still touching, “you are so easygoing”, she tells him chuckling lightly. He’s taken aback, leaning back on his chair with a look of surprise, he says, “I’ve never been called easygoing” raising his eyebrows incredulously.   
She laughs looking at the ceiling, before setting her eyes back on his, “let me rephrase that” she starts, “you are so easygoing compared to me”, she finishes with a smirk on her face, looking at him adoringly.   
He holds her gaze as she leans back on the chair, “Hmm” he mutters, “because of the darkness and twistedness?” he asks with a look of genuine curiosity. That makes her laugh, and she answers still chuckling, “Precisely”. She sighs loudly, looking up at the ceiling as she blinks slowly and still looking away from him she says, “I’ve spent the better part of this morning convincing myself that you were regretting last night” she says, finally looking at him and making intense eye contact. He frowns facing her, “regretting what?” he asks confused. She breathes loudly, slowly shaking her head, feeling her eyes tear up for reasons unbeknown to her, “Saying I love you” she tells him, making an effort to give him the smallest of smiles, pushing her lips together, adding, “I’m a dark and twisted mess, I know” as she leans back into her chair.   
His features soften, looking at her with concern in his eyes, he moves forward and kisses her forehead, “you’re not a mess” he says as he leans back and looks into her eyes before adding, “and no, I have no regrets about last night. Why in the world would you think that?” he asks her, running his fingers through her hair.   
She sniffles and chuckles, before answering quietly “because you didn’t text me this morning” pursing her lips together and raising her eyebrows while closing her eyes briefly, before continuing “it’s stup -”, but he immediately interrupts her with a look of concern and complete dread on his face, “apologies darling”, he takes her hands in his, “was I supposed to text?”. She cups his face with her hands, a calm look taking over her features, “No babe. It’s just that lately you been texting me every morning and today when you didn’t, my insecure and dysfunctional inner child, panicked”, she explains to him, letting go of his face and placing her hand on his arm, “I was anxious and I panicked”, she blinks a couple of times, raising her eyebrows, letting him know she has no further explanation. 

He looks at her for what feels like minutes and then very softly says, “My love. I was paged in the middle of the night. That’s why I didn’t text”, running his hand up and down her thigh. She looks up at him and gives him a tight lip smile, “I know that now, but I didn’t know that then” she says shrugging.   
He leans forward, their faces only inches apart, taking her hands in his again, “Meredith” he says quietly, “I don’t know what your past relationships were like, but in this relationship you don’t need to second-guess me. Or yourself for that matter. I’m all man. When I say or do something it’s because I’m ready and I mean it”, by now she’s looking deeply into his eyes, enthralled by their blue-grayish color and the words coming out of his mouth as he continues his little speech “I said I love you because I do and I feel it in every fiber of my being. You can be absolutely certain of it” planting the gentlest kiss on her lips before adding, “the next time you feel anxious or panic or have the dark and twisted clouds raining on your parade, you pick up the phone and you call me. OK?” He waits for an answer and nodding with love in her eyes she replies quietly “OK”. Apparently he’s not finished yet, still looking at her he adds, “This” he motions with his hands to them both, “This is a good thing. I’m not here to complicate your life or add unwanted stress” he says with a tender voice. She can’t help but smile with adoration at how he voices his thoughts. This man is truly perfect. She takes a moment to comprehend every bit of what he’s saying and answers quietly with a helpless look overtaking her features, “my life is complicated” she sighs looking down before making eye contact with him, “I have a lot of baggage, Cormac”, she says with a serious look on her face.   
“I know” he says as he moves closer to her, circling her body with his arms and giving her a quick peck on her cheek, before pulling away and looking straight into her eyes, “I’m gonna help you unpack”. She tears up as she hears this last bit of sweetness he sends her way, “I love you” she whispers as she hugs him tightly, burying her head in the crook of his neck and planting a kiss there. “I love you too darling” he says hugging her back. 

They stay comfortably in each other’s arms for a while, when Meredith interrupts their peace, “So I kept you out late last night, huh?” she says smiling as she pulls herself back for a second just to look at him before returning to his arms, he laughs out loud, “we had fun though, didn’t we?” he says more as a statement than a question. “Yeah” she says, “Thank you for the muffin”, she adds whispering in the intimacy of the moment they are sharing, “my pleasure” he whispers back, still enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms. They stay wrapped around each other until Cormac’s pager goes off. “It’s yours babe” says Meredith, still buried in his embrace. He pulls himself back to check his pager and stands up, “It’s the ER. Incoming trauma” he says as he bends down and plants a kiss on her head. She catches his hand as he’s about to turn and leave, “Cormac, about tonight” she says waiting for him to elaborate with details, “Yes. My place. Tonight. I’ll see you later baby”, he tells her, squeezing her hand before quickly making his way out the door and to the ER, leaving her sitting comfortably and content in the solace of his office, thinking about what might happen tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: Chapter 4 is finally here! Thank you all for the nice reviews and messages, I appreciate them very much. This chapter is a bit longer to compensate for being MIA the past few weeks! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

_______________________________________________________

Feeling content and relaxed after talking things over with Cormac, Meredith headed to the lab to work on her research before her next surgery. 

She spends almost two hours working on her project, all the while thinking about Hayes at the back of her mind, sending a silent thank you to The One above for crossing their paths. 

She is deeply concentrated on her work, taking notes of what she just read, when she hears a light knock on the door and turns her head that way to see Bailey walking into the lab with Cormac behind her and a couple of interns in line. Meredith eyes them curiously.   
“Sorry Grey, I know you’re working but I asked Dr. Hayes here to give us a hand with the interns. He’s teaching a masterclass on neonatal care”, Bailey tells her as she walks into the lab and makes her way to where Meredith is seating, Hayes following close behind. Meredith nods her head, making eye contact with Cormac, before getting back to Bailey, “No problem. I’m almost done” Meredith tells her, shifting her attention to him she says, “Hey”, with a half-smile on her face. He smiles back and looks at her lovingly, “Hi”, walking over to stand right next to where she’s seating. Bailey looks around the room and back at them, focusing on Cormac, “Dr. Hayes, are you familiar with the tech facilities in here? Do you know how to connect the screen and speakers for your presentation?”, she’s facing Hayes while glancing at the door and checking her pager, “I’m needed in the OR” she murmurs looking away, exhaustion evident in her face. Hayes looks at her calmly, confident as usual, he says “Go ahead. I’m sure Dr. Grey here can show me around”. Dr. Bailey glanced at Meredith and then at the few interns scattered around the room, “Yes. OK. Thanks Grey. Thank you, Hayes”, as she quickly turns around and walks out heading to the OR. 

As soon as Bailey walks out, Cormac takes a seat on the stool next to Meredith, moving his body so he’s facing her, “Go on love. Pretend I’m not here. I’ll be quiet”, he says, looking at her and eyeing the medical journals she has laid out in front of her. She gives him a small smile and answers back softly, almost whispering, “It’s OK sweetie. I needed a break anyway”, she says while moving her hand to his lap, reaching for his hand, “How was surgery?”, she asks as she squeezes his hand. He notices she’s whispering so he lowers his voice too, “Good. The kid did great” he tells her maneuvering his hand so their fingers are interlocking. She smiles at him and turns her body on the stool so she’s also facing him, “Cormac” smiling sweetly at him, “about tonight” she says as she makes deep eye contact with him, feeling her heart racing with every emotion he makes her feel just by locking eyes. He watches her blush, finding it adorable how her cheeks betray her and turn a shade of pink every time she’s embarrassed, “What about tonight?” he asks, smiling lovingly at her as he caresses her hand, “are you standing me up Grey?” a questioning look with a hint of curiosity on his face. She chuckles as she brings her other hand up to his face, caressing his cheek with her thumb, “not a chance Hayes” she tells him, smiling widely with that signature smile that reaches her eyes, “I just wanna know what to expect I guess”, she says, turning a bit serious for a minute, “You told me earlier that I don’t have to second-guess you and I love that about you. That I can ask you anything and I’ll know you’ll give me a straight answer. Now, I don’t want you to feel any pressure whatsoever in taking further steps in this relationship, but I just wanted to touch base with you and check if we are on the same page” she says calmly and without hurry, eyes still on his, she adds quickly, “if not, it’s absolutely fine. I’ll jump to whichever page you’re on. I’m only ready if you are” still holding eye contact, she gets closer and almost inaudibly she adds, “and I don’t just mean sex. Everything. We’ll go at your pace”. 

He breaks eye contact with her, looking down for a second before he looks up at her, his classic smirk on his features. He holds both of her hands in his, resting in the space between his knees. He looks at her, holding an intense gaze that makes her feel grateful she’s sitting down because that look makes her weak in the knees and she can’t even think clearly when he’s looking at her like that. “Mer” he says, their faces only inches apart, “I’m ready for absolutely everything”. She could hear the confidence in his voice, making her wish they were alone right now and not in a room with a dozen interns goofing around. Next thing she knows, his lips are on her, his urgency to taste her evident in his kiss. She’s enthralled by his kiss until she returns to her previous thoughts and realizes they’re not by themselves. Her hands on his chest, she pushes back quickly, “Cormac” she hisses, glancing around the room to make sure no one saw them, but spots a few of them already gossiping, some eyes on them. He can’t help but laugh at her reaction, “It was a reflex darling”, he says as he gives her the most adoring smile, cocking his head to one side. She chuckles at his answer as she nods her head sarcastically, “Oh. A reflex. First time I hear about the kiss reflex in all my years of medical training”, she smirks at him, eyebrows raised. He stays in character, with a serious-looking face, “I don’t know about this side of the world but it’s very common with us Irishmen”, he tells her, a big grin appearing on his features. She laughs at this, feeling the urge to kiss him again but holding herself back, “Well then, I’m lucky I have one of those”. He smiles at her, not able to take his eyes off her lips, he closes them for a second, shaking his head rapidly as if walking into a cold shower, and then settles his eyes back on hers, “if you think you’re the lucky one here, then forget about which page we’re each on. We are definitely not on the same book” he says, his voice almost a whisper as he gets closer to her and whispers in her ear, making sure everyone else was out of earshot, “In my book”, he says, pausing to run his lips by her ear, “I’m the luckiest man alive”. She closes her eyes as soon as she feels the warmth of his lips near her ear and smiles at the words coming out of his mouth. She pushes him back so she can look at him, still smiling lovingly at him, “I have to go”, she tells him as she stands up and so does he. “You have surgery?”, he asks her, watching her as she closes her medical journals and gathers her notes. “Not yet” she answers back shortly. “Where are you headed then? Stay for my lecture”, he tells her happily as he fixes the collar on her lab coat.   
She steps closer to him, holding her journals close to her chest, as she reaches up to whisper in his ear, “I’m headed anywhere else but here because if you keep looking at me like that and touching me with your lips, then my next reflex will be considered sexual harassment by all counts, and there are too many witnesses here”. He groans almost inaudible, closing his eyes as he does, only opening them when he feels her hand on his, “You know how to set up the presentation?”, she asks concerned as she steps back and looks at him, remembering the real reason why he was there. “I’ll figure it out”, he says with a smirk, as he bites his lower lip, eyeing her from head to toe.   
She smirks back at him, “Let me know when you’re done, OK?”, she says, her eyes making that sparkly thing they naturally do. “Aye, good luck”, he tells her, giving her hand a last squeeze.   
“You too”, she says as she turns around and walks out, leaving him in a room full of interns eyeing him curiously and wandering what the hell is going on between him and Meredith Grey.   
________________________________

It’s almost 5pm when Meredith walks out of surgery and is on her way to update her patient’s family. She is checking her email as she makes her way to the waiting area, when she receives Cormac’s text. 

CH: Hey love. I’m finishing up some charts and post-op notes. I’ll be done in around 20. Should I wait for you?  
Mer: Hey you. I just walked out of surgery. Don’t wait for me. I’ll meet you at your place after I put the kids to bed.   
CH: OK great. How was your surgery?  
Mer: A few complications here and there but everything under control.   
Mer: I’m about to update the family. See you later sweetie. Love you.   
CH: I love you too.   
Mer: Text me your address when you get a chance.   
CH: Yes darling.   
CH: 2550 42th Ave NE

________________________________

A few hours later, Meredith was home getting her kids into bed after having dinner and helping them with homework.

She’s helping Bailey put his books and homework in his backpack while the girls change into their pajamas and go brush their teeth. “Guys, Aunt Amy is taking you to school tomorrow” Meredith says as the kids finish setting up for bed, “I’m going out now, so if you wake up and need something you go ask her or Aunt Maggie, OK?”, she asks. “Yes mommy”, says Bailey. “Where are you going mom?”, Zola asks her. “I’m going out with a friend Zozo”, Meredith tells Zola as she goes and lays down with Ellie. 

Bailey and Ellis fall asleep within 10 minutes and Meredith goes to sit by Zola’s bed. “You’re not tired sweetie?”, she asks her eldest. “Just a little. I took a nap after school”, she says giggling. Meredith widens her eyes in shock, “you took a nap? With whose permission?”, she asks feigning surprise. “I was very tired mom” Zola explains defensively. “That’s all right honey. I’ll lay down with you for a little while” says Meredith as she joins her in bed and Zola snuggles close to her mom.   
“At what time you’re coming back mommy?” Zola asks while enjoying the warm embrace of her mother. “Umm” Meredith says while she comes up with a good answer, “I’m not sleeping here tonight Zo. I’m going out for a little bit and then going back to work”, she tells her, trying not to sound too suspicious. “Which friend are you meeting now?” Zola asks eyeing her mom. “Dr. Hayes. You haven’t met him yet. He works with kids like Uncle Alex” Meredith replies quickly, hoping this is the last of Zola’s interrogation.   
“Is he cool like Uncle Alex?” Zola asks her, excitement in her voice. “Yes, he’s very cool and very nice too”, Meredith replies choosing her words very carefully, “You know, he used to work with Aunt Cristina over in Zurich”, Meredith tells her eldest, knowing that it will immediately score a few points for Cormac. Zola raises her eyebrows and opens her mouth in surprise, “Really!? Aunt Cristina is the coolest after Uncle Alex!” She says as she continues with her 20Questions-inspired Questionnaire, “So your friend moved here? With all his family?”, as she eyes Meredith, showing genuine interest, increasing by the second.   
Meredith is caught off guard, eyebrows raised in obvious surprise, “Umm, yes sweetie. He moved to Seattle. With his kids. He has two boys. Older than you”, she tells Zola, feeling a bit anxious with Zola’s sudden interest in her extracurricular activities. Zola smiles when she hears he has kids, “That’s really cool mom! Because most of your friends have babies and little kids”, Zola tells Meredith, sounding very excited as if she’s already making plans in her head, “He got the same as Aunt Cristina? That’s why he’s just with his kids? A divorce?”, Zola asks sounding like a seasoned interviewer at this point. Meredith is definitely surprised by the turn of this unexpected interrogation but welcomes it all the same. “No Zo, he’s not divorced. He lost his wife a few years ago. She was very sick”, Meredith tells Zola, speaking very softly as she does, knowing this is a delicate topic around her kids. “She died?” Zola asks her, a million thoughts running through her head. “Yes sweetie” says Meredith observing Zola, trying to figure out what’s running through her mind.   
She stays quiet for a long time, Meredith even thought she had fallen asleep, when suddenly she hears her voice, almost a whisper, curiosity spiking in every word, “Mommy”, says Zola turning her body sideways so she’s facing her mom, “he’s your friend or your boyfriend?” she asks as she moves and cuddles closer to her mom. Is this for real? This kid is way too smart, thinks Meredith as she’s once again caught off guard, she opens her mouth to speak but no words come out. She looks away from Zola, takes a deep breath and makes eye contact once again before answering her daughter with a small smile on her features, “He’s my boyfriend Zozo” she says as she watches her daughter carefully, waiting for any kind of reaction, “would you like to meet him sometime?”, she dares to ask and feels instant relief when Zola answers her question nodding enthusiastically. “OK sweetie” says Meredith as she kisses her head. Zola continues with her investigative persona for a few minutes, focusing her efforts on coming up with possible plans where she could meet Dr. Hayes. She falls asleep soon after and Meredith retreats to her room to pack a few essentials for the night and take a quick shower before she heads to Cormac’s. 

Mer: Cormac. I’m cleaning up the kitchen and I’ll be on my way.   
CH: OK sweetheart. I can go get you if you like.   
Mer: Thanks sweetie but I don’t mind driving.   
CH: All right darling be careful on the road.  
Mer: OK babe. See you soon. 

________________________________

When she reaches his house, the rain has died down and she’s able to reach the front door without needing an umbrella. She rings the doorbell and waits outside, feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety as she imagines the night ahead. 

He opens the door and immediately steps aside welcoming her inside with the cutest smile on his face. “Hey” he says warmly, walking over to where she’s standing to take the weekender bag she has on her shoulder, “Come in baby, let me help you with this”. She smiles back at him, “Hi, thanks” as she hands over her bag and walks inside letting him close the door behind her. She walks behind him as he goes into the living room and can’t help but notice how relaxed he looks in his habitat, making her feel at ease too. He’s wearing skinny black jeans, a light blue t-shirt that makes his eyes stand out and no shoes, matching the comfy clothes she picked out for tonight, not knowing what she should wear for a first night at her boyfriend’s, she settled for a pair of worn-out jeans, a beige knitted sweater over a basic tank top and flat shoes. He puts her bag on the couch and turns to her, walking slowly to where she is standing, “Can I get you a drink? Are you hungry?”, he says as he takes her hands in his. She smiles sweetly at him before stepping closer and kissing him, “Hi” she says breaking the kiss, her face an inch away from his. “Hi beautiful” he says and gives her a quick kiss, “I’m very happy you are here with me” he says while holding eye contact with her. “Me too” she replies back, moving her hands to the nape of his neck before kissing him again, “I’ll take you up on that drink” she tells him with a flirtatious smirk. “Good. Because I have the greatest collection of whiskey in here” he says, cocking his head to his right as he smirks at her with a smile of his own. “I would expect nothing less from you” she tells him, enjoying their comfortable banter and leaving behind any traces of nervousness or anxiety they might have felt regarding their night. “Come here, I’ll show you” he says as he takes her hand and guides her to a small bar in the back of the living room.   
________________________________

Next thing she knows, they are on the couch and she’s listening to him explain in full detail the experience of Irishmen tasting whiskey for the first time like it’s a coming of age or something. His feet are propped up on the coffee table, hers on top of his, arms around each other, as she pays attention to every word he’s saying, his Irish accent thicker than usual, which she’s finding irresistible. 

She’s looking deep into his eyes when she decides to act on her impulse and kisses him without restraint. Fulfilling her deepest yearning, she moves so she’s on top, straddling him, her lips on his, every step of the way. She feels drawn to him in a way she can’t explain. The energy that’s pulsating between their bodies is unlike anything he’s ever felt before. She can’t seem to get enough of him. He wants to stay in this moment forever. They break the kiss to catch their breath, both gasping for air. She opens her eyes and smiles at him, looking into his eyes she recognizes the look of desire, knowing she has the exact same look radiating from her face. “Babe, you got protection?” she asks him in between moans as he kisses her neck, “I’m not on the pill yet”. She hears a weak yes as he continues to cover her with passionate kisses. She feels both of their bodies craving more, “Cormac” she says and he immediately stops what he’s doing and looks at her concerned, “What’s wrong? Should I stop?” he asks, running his hands along her back. She smiles at him adoringly, “Don’t you dare” she says devilishly, kissing him between each word, “Bed. Now.” she adds, too lost in his touch to formulate full sentences. He doesn’t need to be told twice, he maneuvers her off his lap and gets up, pulling her to her feet as well and guiding her to his bedroom. 

The moment they stepped into the bedroom it was as if every piece of the puzzle was fitting perfectly. Like dancing when you already know every step of the dance. The feeling of watching a movie when you’ve already read the book. They moved in perfect synchronization, as if they’d done this a million times before, nonetheless feeling the magic of a first encounter with a soulmate. 

She felt taken care of in every sense. His confidence and expertise amazed her. This guy, her guy, was a veteran. He was clearly a seasoned player and she was enjoying every minute of it. 

This can’t be real, he thought, as he acted out each and every one of his fantasies. There was no awkwardness, no insecurities, and no doubting. There was confidence and comfort in the air. They both wanted and needed this. They moved in unison, reaching new peaks, and experiencing feelings they’d never felt before. There are moments you know you will always cherish even as you live them, and this was definitely one for the books. 

After an intense earth-shattering, paradigm-shifting, expectation-crushing lovemaking session, they collapse on the bed, satisfaction evident in their worn-out state and the remnants of euphoria in their facial expressions. He was laying on his back, replaying in his mind every scene of the past hour. She had her head on his chest as she ran her fingers up and down his arm in a calming fashion. 

He reaches down to kiss the top of her head, running his fingers through her hair, he meets her eyes and asks, “You OK darling?”. She reacts with a sweet little smile and reaches up giving him a small peck on the lips, “I should be asking you that”, she says showing some concern in her voice. “I’ve never been better”, he says while running his hands down the sides of her body, “you are pure magic, my love”. She smiles to herself, feeling content with her whole persona and grateful for every single thing that has led her to this moment, “You are a master of this craft, mister” she tells him admiringly, giving him a playful wink that makes him feel like a teenager again, exploring the nightclubs in Dublin, always with a different girl by his side. 

He can’t help but laugh at her last comment, pulling her up to him so he can kiss her comfortably without bending down, “So I’ve been told” he tells her, chuckling as he watches her laugh at him, surprised by his answer. “Have you ever heard of modesty?”, she asks him, still laughing in disbelief.   
He looks at her with adoration in his eyes, “Never”, he tells her with a smile that reaches the corners of his eyes. 

Laying on their sides, facing each other, he puts his hand on her hip, pulling her closer, still holding her gaze he whispers softly, “That was amazing. You are amazing”, as he places a tender kiss on her forehead. She blushes in return, looking down for a second before looking back up and softly brushing her lips against his, “You were on fire” she says as she trails her index finger all around his chest, eliciting a small moan from him every time she caresses one of his nipples. 

“Babe” she says, still working on his chest, “I told Zola about you”, she adds, staring at him to watch his reaction. His eyebrows are raised and his mouth open in pleasant surprise. He stops her wandering hand on his chest, holding it in his own, resting them on top of his heart, “You did? How did...What were...” he trails off unable to voice his thoughts, this recent revelation making her relationship goals crystal clear for him. With her having young children, he’d assumed she would keep him at arm’s length at least for now, but if this was any indication of her heart’s desire, she had no intention whatsoever of keeping a distance between them or taking things slowly. She found it adorable that he was at a loss of words, so she held his gaze while stroking his cheek, until a few seconds later he was able to form a full sentence, “Sorry” he says chuckling as he searched for the right words, “What did she say?”, he asks her, a hint of nervousness on his voice. Meredith gives him the sweetest of smiles, the one she has designated as his and only his for the past 3 months, “That she wants to meet you. She was excited. I didn’t really tell her. She figured it out all by herself”, she says, speaking softly and in a slow manner, still caressing his face, “and honestly, I’m glad she did” she says as she pulls herself closer to him, leaving a series of soft pecks on his lips, “because for years I’ve been taking care of everyone else but me. Not anymore. It’s not every day that I come across someone like you. I know I’m not perfect, but I love you and I’m done running away”, she says before taking a deep breath and carrying on, “I’m all in, Cormac”.   
He’s teary-eyed as she opens up to him, vulnerable as ever. He kisses the back of her hand before closing the gap between them to give her a tender kiss. He breaks the kiss, still lingering on her lips, foreheads still touching, “Good. Because I’m betting everything on us”, he holds her gaze, making her feel warm inside just by making eye contact, “You may not be perfect. That’s only human. But make no mistake, you’re perfect for me”, he says before their lips meet once again, satisfying their longings and basking in the feelings of warm and familiarity their love propels, before falling asleep in each other’s arms for the first time ever.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

He wakes up as the first rays of sun settle on his window. He takes in his surroundings, still finding it hard to believe that Meredith Grey is laying in his arms. She’s his girlfriend. He’s still feeling lucky and grateful when he sees her turning, burying her face in the crook of his neck. 

“Morning beautiful”, he says as he runs his hand up and down her back, planting a sweet kiss on the side of head. 

“Hi”, she whispers tiredly, giving him a peck in the neck. “Do we have to get up? I wanna stay here forever”, she asks, hugging his torso and pulling herself closer to him. 

He chuckles softly, “You have the day off my love. You can stay here for as long as you want. Unfortunately, I have to get up soon”, he tells her with laziness in his voice, turning on his side so he’s face to face with her.   
She opens her eyes when she feels him moving, to find his face and inch from hers, “call in sick”, she suggests with a puppy-eyed look.   
This causes him to throw his head back and laugh out loud, making her smile as well, “I can’t. Not today”, he tells her, his hand on her cheek, “But if you’re up for it, I’ll take you out for dinner”, he adds.   
She pulls herself to him, hands on his shoulders and kisses him without restraint, “I’m up for it”, she says in the middle of what has turned into a morning make-out session. 

“You up for another round, Hayes?”, she asks him devilishly, while straddling him and biting her lower lip.   
He looks at her and feels as if the air has been sucked out of him. He answers by capturing her lips with his, eager to show her that last night’s performance was not a one-time thing.   
As he kisses her neck, covering every inch of her skin, he whispers in her ear, “When it comes to you, I’m always up for more”. That one line sends her over the edge, the urgency of their touch filling her every sense, “Cormac, please”, she begs him and he doesn’t need to be told twice as he obediently complies, knowing exactly what she’s asking for. 

After a 30 minute-long, love-making episode, she’s laying on her back trying to catch her breath and he’s down on his stomach, his arm across her body, resting on top of her abs, “Darling” he says looking at her. She turns her head to meet his eyes, running circles with her fingers on the arm he has on her stomach, “You have to get up?”, she asks with a sad tone.   
He nods, tight-lipped, closing the space between them to place a tender kiss on her forehead, “I love you”. She closes her eyes and smiles automatically when she feels his lips on her skin, following him with her eyes as he hops out of bed and goes into the bathroom to take a quick shower. 

10 minutes later, he comes out of the bathroom, fully dressed in dark skinny jeans and a black long sleeve crewneck, only to find his bed empty. He puts on his shoes and grabs his bag to head downstairs.   
He finds her in the kitchen, standing near the coffee machine, dressed in his robe and slippers. He pauses for a second to take her all in and keep that image in his memory forever. 

She turns around when she hears him come into the kitchen, “Hi”, she says, eyeing him from head to toe, a smile plastered on her face.   
He smiles back, a look of pure adoration on his face, “Morning”, he says as he wraps and arm around her waist from behind and kisses her on the back of the head. He stays in that position, with his head resting on top of hers, taking in the moment.   
“You smell nice. Coffee?”, she asks, still enjoying the intimacy of their embrace. “Sure, thank you”, he answers and lets go, walking around the kitchen aisle to cut up some fruit.   
“Bagels OK? I promise to make you waffles next time”, he asks her with a smirk on his face that she finds irresistible.   
“He’s an ace in the bedroom AND in the kitchen! Man, I got lucky!”, she exclaims, looking straight at him, watching him as he blushes, embarrassed. He looks down to the floor, laughing softly with his eyebrows raised, “The luck of the Irish they say”, he says with a smirk, locking eyes with her. “I know!”, she says back, nodding enthusiastically, “Bagels are perfect my love”, she says softly, a small smile on her lips.   
He smiles at her, finding it sweet that she’s using the term of endearment he tends to use with her and gets to work on their breakfast, slicing the bagels in half while snacking on the berries he took out of the fridge.   
She passes him a cup of coffee and leans over the kitchen counter while checking her email as he gets breakfast ready on the opposite counter, his back turned to her.   
“Cormac, I was thinking...”, she starts saying, eyes still glued to her phone.   
He glances at her over his shoulder, “About?”, he asks and turns back again.   
She looks up at him, watching from behind as he prepares a fruit platter, looking very much like something taken out of a five-star hotel buffet, “Tonight. Dinner”, she says while making eye contact with him as he turns around, mouth full of blueberries, passing the rest of the berries to her. “What about it?”, he asks, eyeing her curiously, as he swallows his mouthful of fruit.   
She’s now snacking on the blueberries as well, her back leaning on the counter, facing him, “Why don’t you come to my place instead? The kids go to bed early and I have the day off. So I have plenty of time to cook something decent”, she fills him in on her idea, eyebrows raised expecting an answer.   
“OK” he says nodding his head in agreement, “Should I bring something? Dessert? Wine? Whiskey?”, he offers, he’s nothing if not proper, a polite little grin on his face.   
She looks at him and can’t help but close the gap between them, pulling him in for a kiss, one hand on the back of his head, the other resting on his shoulder. She breaks apart from the kiss and focuses on him, waiting for his eyes to open, “I’ll never turn down whiskey from you”, she tells him as soon as their eyes meet, smiling sweetly at him, her hands massaging his shoulders, his hands on her hips, “I wouldn’t trade those late night drinks with you for anything in the world”, she adds.   
He takes a deep breath and kisses her forehead, drawing her in for a tight hug, “Me neither”, he whispers to her. She notices him sniffing as they pull back from the hug, his eyes looking a bit teary, “Hey”, she says, getting a hold of his arm before he walks over to the other side of the kitchen, “You OK?”, she asks, thinking that maybe she said the wrong thing or maybe this was turning out to be too much for him. He locks eyes with her, blinks a few times and smiles through sniffles and glassy eyes, “More than OK. I just can’t believe I found you. I’m happy”, he says, holding her hands, the smallest of smiles appearing on his features, but the biggest of emotions vibrating from his heart.   
She’s filled with emotion as well. Hearing him talk so openly about his feelings makes her heart speed. She thinks to herself - if this is not love, I don’t know what is - as she struggles to find the words she’s looking for, “I’m happy too. You make me happy”, she says as she blinks back a small tear that threatens to escape her eye, laughing at their sentimental and open-hearted encounter.   
He smiles at her, giving her a quick kiss on the lips and guides her to the bar stools by the kitchen aisle, “Come on. I have a few minutes for breakfast”, he tells her as they sit down to eat, discussing their plans for the day. 

After 10 minutes, he’s done with breakfast and getting ready to leave. She’s still eating her breakfast, going at her own pace, taking full advantage of her day off.   
He reappears in the kitchen, coat on and keys in hand, bag over his shoulder, “Gotta go, love”, he says as he kisses her temple and starts walking backwards slowly, making his way out while still talking to her, “Make yourself at home. Don’t clean up here or in the bedroom. My cleaning lady is coming today”, he says with eyebrows raised, showing he’s completely serious and not just being nice, “See you later. Love you”, he winks at her as he says goodbye, walking out of the kitchen. “Have a good day. Love you too”, she yells after him, feeling happier than she has felt in a very long time. 

__________________

She finishes her breakfast and takes a quick shower over at Cormac’s before hitting the road and running the long list of errands she has set for the day. 

At 12pm she’s walking out of her children’s school when her phone vibrates with an incoming message from her boyfriend. 

CH: Hey you  
Mer: Hi babe  
Mer: What’s up? Are you bailing on me tonight?  
CH: No love. I’m just checking in with you.   
CH: How’s your day going?  
Mer: I’m halfway through my to-do list.   
Mer: Walking out of the school as we speak. Bailey’s teacher wanted to meet with me.   
CH: Everything OK?  
Mer: Yes.   
Mer: I don’t know.   
Mer: I’ll tell you about it tonight.   
CH: All right dear.   
Mer: How’s your day going? How was surgery?  
CH: Great. 2 down, 2 to go.   
Mer: That’s a marathon. You’re gonna be exhausted tonight.   
CH: Aye. Count on it.   
CH: Prepping for surgery now.   
Mer: See you later honey.   
CH: I haven’t been able to stop thinking about last night and this morning.   
CH: You’re one of a kind Meredith Grey.   
Mer: And you’re everything I need.   
Mer: Go save a life, Romeo. Love you.   
CH: Love you. 

__________________  
After tucking her kids in bed, around 7pm, Meredith heads to the kitchen to check on dinner when Cormac texts:

CH: Mer. I’m almost done. Checking on a patient and I’ll be on my way love.   
Mer: Take your time sweetie. Dinner’s not ready yet.   
CH: My last patient coded on the table so surgery took a bit longer.   
Mer: No problem babe.   
—————————  
CH: I’m done my love. I’ll be there soon.   
Mer: OK babe. Be careful on the road. Please don’t speed Cormac.   
CH: I won’t. Don’t worry.   
Mer: Thank you. 

_________________

He rings the doorbell of the infamous frat house and waits for it to be opened, bottle of whiskey in hand, as promised. 

Meredith opens the door in socks, black leggings, an oversized Beatles t-shirt and a big smile on her face, “Hey you”, she says, stepping aside so he can come in. “Hey gorgeous. Sorry I’m a bit late”, he says as he steps inside and plants a sweet kiss on her lips, pulling her close to him. They break apart and she opens her eyes, immediately locking eyes with him, “Hi”, she greets him again, her fingers interlaced on the back of his neck, “I didn’t think you were gonna make it”, she adds with a smirk. Hands on her hips, his eyes sparkling with utter adoration, “Are you kidding me? I’ve been waiting the whole day just to kiss you”, he tells her as he places a series of tender kisses on her lips, getting a bit carried away, until she steps back, a bit flustered, breaking their kiss, “I’ll stop right now before we get carried away and skip dinner”, she says regaining some composure. He smiles as he watches her, following her to the kitchen. 

Very proud and confident of her results, she serves him her specialty: Orange Glazed Salmon, Wild Rice and a side of Roasted Garlic Potatoes with Butter Parmesan. He’s in awe with her cooking skills and her First-Class dishes. 

“Meredith”, he says looking at her after they sat down to eat, “I’m impressed. I didn’t know you could cook”, he tells her with a proud smile on his features. 

She laughs and meets his gaze, “I can’t. Just what you see here and the kids’ favorites”, she says as she raises her eyebrows with smirk. 

He laughs at her honest answer, “Still. Everything looks absolutely amazing”, he reaches for her hand and gives it a squeeze, “Thank you for having me”, he says lovingly. 

“Thanks for coming even though you’re completely exhausted”, she answers back as they take their first bite.   
He swallows and slowly shakes his head from side to side before answering, “there’s no place I’d rather be”, while looking deep into her eyes, continuing to eat as he tells her about a project he’s working on with Tom.


End file.
